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So a couple of months ago I got this terrifying phone call. My son (out in Indiana at college) "had been texting while driving, got in a serious accident, and wounded a pregnant woman." Now he was "headed to jail."
This was very well staged: there were "siren sounds" and I talked to a "cop", and there was also a terrified young voice on the other end, which powered by my own adrenaline sounded EXACTLY like my son!
-at this moment, my wife called his cell, there was no answer. The "cop" told me his cell had been "confiscated" as "evidence".
I then talked to his "attorney" and was told I needed to raise "bail" or my son would spend the night in the slammer. I said I wanted to talk to my son first. (-something was starting to feel...wrong!)
-just then my son called back. My wife picked up:
Son: "What's going on?? Why did you leave that message?!"
Wife: "ARE YOU IN JAIL??!!!"
Son: "Whhhhat?!!!"
He hadn't picked up because he was in class! (NO! -not "class"!)
After that, my (-other?) son called. (I only really HAVE one!)
"DAAAD!! I'm in JAIL!!!"
-now I was a little wiser: I decided to have some fun with it:
"What's your middle name?"
-and on the other end "click!"
(-end chapter one!)
Chapter 2!
So, I'm working from home today. Maybe two hours ago the phone rings and this terrified young voice is on the other end: "Daaaaad!!! I've been in a CAR ACCIDENT!!!"
-now, my kid is upstairs in the shower (I can hear the water running!), and his car is out in the driveway.
-but I try to be a reasonable guy: I'll play my own part.
"OH NOOOO!!!!....Which car were you driving?"
-and once again, on the other end I hear: "click!!"
I've done a little research here: this is a very common scam. A friend who is a police officer got this call and in the end the scammers went to jail (-oops!). It doesn't matter so much that you don't have young drivers in your household. Very often it's a grandchild or niece or nephew, it could even be a spouse or a parent. This is why I'm here: the more people know, the less worthwhile pursuing this particular scam will become.
If you ever find yourself in this particular phone call, the thing to do is keep an open mind: sometimes it really will be a loved one in trouble and you shouldn't slam the phone down right away (-would make for a really frosty Christmas dinner next December!).
You need to ask questions:
1) Where are you?
2) What were you driving?
3) Where were you going?
4) Who are you with?
5) Is Beth with you? (Works best if you know nobody by that name!)
(Keep "What's your middle name" in reserve!)
If they have a cellphone, CALL it!
-those kinds of things: at the very least force the scammers to do a lot of homework, but in the end try either to pierce their defenses or verify it's who they are claiming to be. (Don't be forced to step inside somebody else's world of fiction!)
Just at the minimum, be informed here!
This was very well staged: there were "siren sounds" and I talked to a "cop", and there was also a terrified young voice on the other end, which powered by my own adrenaline sounded EXACTLY like my son!
-at this moment, my wife called his cell, there was no answer. The "cop" told me his cell had been "confiscated" as "evidence".
I then talked to his "attorney" and was told I needed to raise "bail" or my son would spend the night in the slammer. I said I wanted to talk to my son first. (-something was starting to feel...wrong!)
-just then my son called back. My wife picked up:
Son: "What's going on?? Why did you leave that message?!"
Wife: "ARE YOU IN JAIL??!!!"
Son: "Whhhhat?!!!"
He hadn't picked up because he was in class! (NO! -not "class"!)
After that, my (-other?) son called. (I only really HAVE one!)
"DAAAD!! I'm in JAIL!!!"
-now I was a little wiser: I decided to have some fun with it:
"What's your middle name?"
-and on the other end "click!"
(-end chapter one!)
Chapter 2!
So, I'm working from home today. Maybe two hours ago the phone rings and this terrified young voice is on the other end: "Daaaaad!!! I've been in a CAR ACCIDENT!!!"
-now, my kid is upstairs in the shower (I can hear the water running!), and his car is out in the driveway.
-but I try to be a reasonable guy: I'll play my own part.
"OH NOOOO!!!!....Which car were you driving?"
-and once again, on the other end I hear: "click!!"
I've done a little research here: this is a very common scam. A friend who is a police officer got this call and in the end the scammers went to jail (-oops!). It doesn't matter so much that you don't have young drivers in your household. Very often it's a grandchild or niece or nephew, it could even be a spouse or a parent. This is why I'm here: the more people know, the less worthwhile pursuing this particular scam will become.
If you ever find yourself in this particular phone call, the thing to do is keep an open mind: sometimes it really will be a loved one in trouble and you shouldn't slam the phone down right away (-would make for a really frosty Christmas dinner next December!).
You need to ask questions:
1) Where are you?
2) What were you driving?
3) Where were you going?
4) Who are you with?
5) Is Beth with you? (Works best if you know nobody by that name!)
(Keep "What's your middle name" in reserve!)
If they have a cellphone, CALL it!
-those kinds of things: at the very least force the scammers to do a lot of homework, but in the end try either to pierce their defenses or verify it's who they are claiming to be. (Don't be forced to step inside somebody else's world of fiction!)
Just at the minimum, be informed here!
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